Pull up a chair….
And let me give you a REAL marketing lesson…
…So I’ve told you all about the three different components of the *Marketing Triangle* that you need to know about to sharpen up your marketing tools and get more patients…
(Market – Message – Media).
And a couple times I mentioned something called “Direct Response” marketing.
Well….
I’ve had a flood of email replies asking to know more about what “direct response” advertising really is.
So, how about we take a look at an actual ad?
(One I ran recently myself.)
…I’ll walk through what makes it work so well and why people feel compelled to respond to it.
So take a look at this:
(Use this link to down load it if you can’t see it in this email: http://d.pr/i/4VTW/Ypsrkftu).
It’s the type of advert that you can use in any media, including but not limited too: Newspaper, yellow pages, radio, television (speak it!), direct mail, website, talks, even public relations.
Note that the ad is NOT about me.
Sure, it features me.
(Even has a picture of me).
But it doesn’t say much about me other than it positions me as an expert, coming along with proven solution to quickly easily end neck and shoulder pain.
Next…
Take a look at the headline.
It’s all about the prospective patient I want to attract to my clinic (because I know I can help).
It resonates with their frustrations.
And even their acknowledges their “anger” at being told by a medial doctor or other people to just accept neck pain, or take medication.
This ad even has some “reverse psychology” in play by encouraging the reader NOT to read on… because they’ll regret not knowing about what I’m offering years ago.
If you read down the ad…
You’ll see it’s more of a story.
It feels more like something written by an editor than an ad placed by a local physical therapist.
I do that on purpose as to let people decide to read it before the work out that it’s really an ad.
And as the COPY (the words in the main body of the ad) flows, it unravels a story about how so many people aged 45+ (my target “WHO”) are suffering needlessly because of being told the wrong things by drug companies, friends or family, even their doctor!
This creates an “us Vs them” type mentality.
And gets patients on MY side immediately – making the person reading the ad thinking that someone else is to blame for their problems – positioning me as their friend right away!
What also happens in the main copy is that it agrees with what the patient is thinking about his or her problem – that SOMETHING must be out there to help them – even if it is to just help them a little.
Pat attention to your patients and most will say something like:
“If I can just get a little bit of relief from this I think I could cope better”.
So all I do is write what patients tell me, in these ads.
More:
The solution (my free tips report) doesn’t raise too much false hope, hype, or over the top expectations about being a new miracle cure – which actually puts people off from responding.
Given that we live in a very skeptical society, better to promise a little win, rather than a miracle cure and that’s what I’m doing in this Ad.
Note how I even give the reader a sneak preview of what’s inside the tips report…
I do that to confirm that the “tips” really are self help and simple, and that they’re the type that anyone can follow and benefit from.
Next:
Note how I ask for the Response.
The “hallmark” of a direct response ad is the call to action – to act NOW as a result of reading the ad and usually to get something before the offer ends.
Now, in this ad I only give one way to respond.
(I was running a test…)
A week or so later I ran the same Ad again and I all I added was a website address to get the same report and a free recorded message for people to leave their details by calling a 800 toll free number.
Response increased by nearly a third…
And happened becauseI I added these “risk free” ways of the person getting in touch – no one to “sell them” on a pt session or anything like that!
And…
Just by adding an option at the bottom (1 or 2)…
…I have the reader think about “which one”, rather than “should I call”…
…and the scarcity (the limit to the number of free copies of the guide) DRAMATICALLY increase response – and it happens faster – as a result too.
To sum up todays “lesson”:
The goal of this direct response ad was to stimulate a response from people aged 45+ who would have had ZERO intention of ever calling a physical therapist and paying for treatment had I not offered the “bait” of a free report.
Remember, I’m essentially exchanging my advice (inside a free DIY tips report) for their contact details…
…Because once I have their contact details: address, telephone number and email address – my assistant (and my automated follow up marketing system) can get to work at tackling the objections and showing the person who I now know has neck pain – PRECISELY what I do can help them achieve their goals.
All I have to do is keep showing up on the phone or in their inbox or in the post with some direct mail that says the right things to answer the questions these prospective patients have … and BOOM! I’ve got my self a new patient.
So there you go.
Direct Response Marketing and the Marketing Triangle explained in one go..
You got any questions for me?
Or do you want some help from me personally to help solve your biggest marketing challenges?
Hit Reply and let me know what you now need to make your clinic the go-to clinic in town.
Maybe it’s help with creating your own Marketing System?
Whatever it is, let me know.
I love to hear from you and I read all your replies.
Talk soon,
Paul.
P.S If you have a marketing piece that you’d like me to critique and dissect for you, then send it over by reply 😉
Note to reader: you can receive regular marketing lessons like this by signing up to Pauls email list which you can do by opting in at the top or the bottom of this webpage – you’ll get some freebie marketing goodies too to help you 😉
